Billy Morgan sealed a record-breaking Winter Olympics for Great Britain by claiming their fifth medal of the Pyeongchang Games with bronze in the men’s snowboard Big Air.

The 28-year-old from Southampton scored 168.00 for his two best jumps – 82.50 and 85.50 – which were enough to earn him third place behind gold medallist Sebastien Toutant of Canada and Kyle Mack of the United States, who claimed silver.

Morgan’s medal meant Great Britain exceeded their record four-medal haul from both Sochi and Chamonix, although their Sochi tally is also set to rise to five when the four-man bobsleigh team is upgraded to a retrospective bronze.

And it could have been even better for Britain had Eve Muirhead held her nerve in the bronze medal match of the women’s curling competition, but a late mistake cost her dear and saw Japan edge onto the podium with a late 5-3 win.

Skeleton sliders Lizzy Yarnold (gold), Laura Deas and Dom Parsons (both bronze) and ski slopestyler Izzy Atkin (bronze) won medals earlier in the 23rd Winter Games.

Morgan squeezed into the final and was the second of 12 qualifiers to take to the ramp, but as his rivals failed to land their efforts, his podium chances improved.

And when Canadian Max Parrott, the only man who could have leapfrogged Morgan in the standings, crashed on his final jump, Morgan was left to toast an unlikely medal.

Morgan said: “I was like even if I completely wreck myself it doesn’t matter, I’m going to go and do it.

“Normally I’m just worried and I could just pie it off and go home, but today I was I’m just going to go out and send it for the boys.”

The curling competition ended in disappointment for Great Britain as Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Lauren Gray failed to replicate their bronze medal from Sochi in 2014.

In the men’s competition, there was an upset as the United States claimed gold with a 10-7 victory over the fancied Swedish team.

Britain’s Dave Ryding, Laurie Taylor, Alex Tilley and Charlie Guest reached the quarter-finals of the first Olympic Alpine team event.

Victory over the USA in the first round of the event, which featured head-to-head racing, was followed by a quarter-final loss to Norway, by 0.21 seconds.

Switzerland beat Austria in the final, while Norway claimed bronze ahead of France.

Germany held three of the top five positions overnight in the four-man bobsleigh, with the sled piloted by Francesco Friedrich leading the way.

Germany, piloted by Francesco Friedrich, led the way at the halfway stage of the men's four-man bobsleigh
Germany, piloted by Francesco Friedrich, led the way at the halfway stage of the men’s four-man bobsleigh (David Davies/PA Images)

South Korea’s sled, piloted by Won Yun-jong, was 0.29 seconds behind in silver medal position at the halfway stage.

Britain’s two sleds, piloted by Lamin Deen and Brad Hall, were in 17th and 18th overnight, well adrift of the podium places.

Ester Ledecka became the first person to win Olympic gold medals in both skiing and snowboarding by winning the women’s snowboard parallel giant slalom.

The 22-year-old Czech had stunned the sport’s more established names by winning the alpine Super-G last Saturday, coming down late to beat defending champion Anna Veith by 0.01 seconds.
And she went on write her name into the history books by following up in her favourite event on Saturday, overcoming Germany’s Selina Joerg by 0.46 seconds in their snowboard final.

Andrew Musgrave finished 37th in the men’s 50km cross-country, with Finland’s Iivo Niskanen claiming victory over Alexander Bolshunov and Andrey Larkov from Russia.